R Books

There are two editions. The newer revised edition is available on Amazon in both paperback (ISBN 0795379348) and hardcover (ISBN 097537933X). 100% of the net proceeds from the NEW editions are donated to animal rescue groups. (Unfortunately there are no donations from this old edition).
You can see the new editions at
The Canine Commandments (paperback)
The Canine Commandments (hardcover)

Artful and well-written, The Canine Commandments uncovers the true wisdom behind a dog's life. The lessons that W.R. Pursche delivers via our canine friends translate perfectly into our daily relationships with other humans, most notably friends and family. At the heart of it all is loyalty and unconditional love.

Although it will resonate especially strongly for pet lovers, Lessons to Live By: The Canine Commandments is a self-help book intended for readers of all backgrounds, regardless of pet ownership, that draws upon what humans can learn from their canine companions. Timeless wisdom, from the importance of living for the moment to loyalty to the treasure that is friendship and the power of everlasting faith and more - all these are virtues embodied within man's best friend, of which man (and woman) should take heed. "The next time you are with a group of people, count how often their 'conversation' is really nothing more than telling other people how they should behave. 'Don't do that!' 'Put on a sweater, it's cold.' 'Change the station.' Sometimes what passes for conversation is nothing more than a subtle - or not so subtle - series of comments trying to get each other to change - to do what they want, to be like them... Dogs just accept others for what they are, and love them as they are." 100% of the net proceeds of Lessons to Live By: The Canine Commandments will be used for the saving and care of dogs and other animals through the efforts of humane organizations. Highly recommended as an inspirational gift, especially for dog owners but sure to add a ray of cheer for anyone with fond memories of a beloved four-footed friend.

I just loved this book! It is really well-written book and the lessons are very inspiring. There is also a great story at the end where a dog 'tells' his story about being adopted and living with his people.

I can't wait to see if the author writes another book!

While I really love dogs, Pursche's book is really about life and living.

Real simple, fast to read, not too many big words or complicated concepts to digest!

Take an hour or two to read and gain a new perspective on daily living.

The male character in this book is too real! The love he is searching for is at his fingertips. I could not put this book down. As a male reader I could certainly identify with the main character Moses. Thanks for giving him such strong morals. I thoroughly enjoy reading your books in particular because the male characters are men we can look up to from Cousins, to Thems Eves Daughters and now Letters. You have a loyal fan!

This book took me by surprise. I was capitivated from the very beginning. I like the way you write about social issues very tasteful. The ghost scene threw me for a curve, but I quickly recovered. I could not put this book down. The dialogue flows so well. Glad I ordered it you have a loyal fan. Will order the next book. I'm sure they are just as rich.

Letters is one of the best books I've read this year. As a matter of fact, my husband and I read it together and it was a wonderful experience. We can't wait to read the other two books! This book is the bomb!

This book is wonderful! I was extremely intrigued from beginning to end! This book kept me capitivated. There are no dull spots any where. Excellent piece of work!

This book was absolutely wonderful! I met the author in Greensboro, North Carolina at her book signing and she is absolutely beautiful inside and out! Once I spoke with her I could identify with the passion I felt jumping off the pages of her books. Letters is full of excitement. It's a wonderful read. There are no dull spots in this book. Anyone would love it. I appreciated meeting Ms. Dick in person so much I bought Cousins and Thems Eves Daughters. I don't know which one I love the best. Anybody can get into these books.

I first decided to read this book after reading J.R. Salamanca's masterpiece 'Southern Light' - which is one of the best books that I ever read.
The writing and grammar in 'Lilith' is almost too good; I'm that most English Teachers would agree that it is well written; however, the plot left me yawning. I lost interested half way through the book. I thought at least that it would give me an insight into a similar tale ('I Never Promised You A Rose Garden' true life story of Joanne Greenberg) or slowly take me down the path of mysterious madness a la H.P. Lovecraft, but alas, I lost patience with it. But, I guess it might be a bit unfair to compare 'Lilith' to 'Southern Light' after all, they were written almost thirty years apart.

If Goethe had written *Faust* in prose in the 20th century, it might have been something like Salamanca's *Lilith*. You don't want to carelessly compare an author with Goethe any more than you want to carelessly compare a physicist with Einstein, but Salamanca's *Lilith* makes you feel that you are reading a 381 page poem on the search for knowledge, the longing for love, and the relief of despair. Waiting for my copy of the book to arrive, I thought the reviewer who owned five copies had maybe gone a bit far, but now that I have read the book and am waiting for my second copy to arrive, I am wondering whether two copies are enough. :-) The only authors who have possibly touched me more are Goethe and Bertrand Russell, but I cannot understand why this author was ever out of print, or by what strange fare it was that he never got the nod for the Nobel Prize for literature.

I have one minor complaint with this novel, and it centers around the somewhat misleading cover of the book, which describes the story as "one woman's electrifying obsession." There certainly is an obsession in this book, but that belongs to the narrator, Vincent Bruce, not to Lilith, as the cover would have you believe. After finishing the novel, I blacked out the "wo" which just left "man's obsession," which seemed to me to be a more accurate description of the story within.

Vincent, the main character, uses the telling of his story as a way to absolve and purge himself of his experiences with Lilith, a patient he cares for at the mental center where he works. He not only falls in love, but becomes "obsessed" with her. The second half of this novel mostly centers on his attraction to her, and how he compromises his duties as Lilith's caretaker with his feelings of love for her, a woman she herself describes as "mad."

I don't want to give away too much of the story, but the prose in which it is told is both excellent and sensitive. I can't tell you how this book got under my skin! This novel succeeds in disturbing the reader, such is the brilliance of the text. It is seldom that a book really affects me as this one did. Salamanca portrays the story as if it really happened, as if it is a work of truth rather than fiction.

It's a sad story, but one conveyed through beautiful language. Indeed, there were many passages where I felt like crying while reading them. As much as a reader can, you care for Vincent, and you care about what happens to him, and worry (as he does) about his ultimate destiny. He's a directionless figure, who just wants to succeed at something, and make a good life for himself filled with meaning, as his absent mother wished him to do.

I urge you to read this book. And I ask, as another reviewer here does, "Why is this book neglected?" Perhaps you will read it and ask yourself the same question.

"Lilith"

Simply put, this is one of the finest novels I have ever read and I have wondered, as have others before me, why this book is not recognized as superlative, right up there with any other novel (by any novelist) that one cares to name.

I first read it is a teenager in the 1960's. It has stayed with me ever since and from time to time I come back to it. As an artist I've drawn much inspiration from this work. It is at once disheartening and yet uplifting, full of dark underpinnings and at the same time it is full of light, exhausting and inspirational. It also stands as functional poetry.

I once had a chance to see the movie but declined. I could see no point to trying to capture such perfection of prose and such insight to emotion via the medium of film. The book is one of those rare works where, indeed, the words are worth more than pictures.

It was out of print for a while and during that time I scrounged around used book stores and at garage sales, and periodically I would find a copy. These I presented to several friends over the years. I have been thanked repeatedly ever since by those who received the book and, to the very person, each claims it to be indispensable.

Spread the word. Then or now, this work deserves far more recognition than it receives.

My (lengthy) title says it all. Yes, I love this book. Yes, I think everyone should read this book. Yes, I think many people will love this book. Everything the other reviewers have said about it (to date, at least) is true.

But. (You knew a but was coming.) But *Lilith* is Salamanca's second novel. It was originally published in 1961. It partakes of a tradition which Anne Williams, in her really excellent study *Art of Darkness*, has called Male Gothic. The woman, Lilith, is beautiful, desirable, clever, all in a rather unearthly way, and the author clearly loves her; but the *narrator*, who's rather a different being, is destroyed by her. That is, like her namesake, she's sublime in proportion to the degree to which she is also diabolical. Masculine principle destroyed by contact with diabolical femininity, which is associated with landscape, language, beauty: that's Male Gothic, and that's also the pattern of this book. Those evil/desirable women do in those hapless men again.

Let me hasten to remind you that a) I still love the book, in part because the AUTHOR is kinder to Lilith than the NARRATOR can be, and b) that this book was published 30 years ago. Do I blame the author for following a pattern which isn't very kind to the idea of womanhood? No, positively not. And one very good reason not to, if you need one, is because, yes, he got better. In his later works, the women become more earthly, less diabolical, more human, less like muses. In a way that only good authors do, Salamanca has deconstructed his own patterns and called them into question.

Critics, by and large, loved *Lilith* where they scourged *Southern Light* and the recent *That Summer's Trance.* Admittedly *Lilith* is easier reading, and perhaps a better book for those who don't know Salamanca's work to begin on. (Among other qualities, *Lilith* is much shorter.) But I wonder too whether those critics weren't more comfortable with demonized women than with more complicated ones, and whether the devastation that ended *Lilith* didn't strike them as a more suitable punishment for abandon than the very different situation which ended *Southern Light.* In *Southern Light* the author declines to destroy those who have worked horrors; he even allows them (dare we say it) to be redeemed. In *That Summer's Trance*, devastation once again ends the book, but not as punishment for abandon, but for (sorry) abandoning abandon, for selling out. Now let's take a wild guess here: why, do you suppose, might readers in a consumer society prefer to be told that abandon, rapture and passion end in destruction than to be told that selling out ends in destruction? Any thoughts?

I'm sure you all know the answer to that as well as I do. So that's my final word: by all means buy *Lilith*, read *Lilith*, love Lilith. But if you do love it, be brave: have a try at the newer, longer, scarier books too, the ones whose message, despite the changed medium, is really much more radical.

I enjoyed Jim Brosnan's The Long Season. I didn't think that the book was quite as good as its reputation, however.

It is easy to see why The Long Season made such a strong impression when it was published in 1960. Brosnan's account of the 1959 baseball season was one of the first books that didn't "sugarcoat" the professional athlete's life. Brosnan is very opinionated about baseball and the characters in the baseball world.

I don't think that the book has aged that well, however. It doesn't have the irreverence or gossipy tone of books that followed, such as Ball Four. I found, therefore, that the book could be slow going in places. You do get an excellent view of the 1959-era baseball world, however.

In summary, The Long Season is a good read for those who want to know more about baseball 50 years ago. If you aren't a hardcore fan, however, you probably will want to look elsewhere.

wonderful baseball expose of the era. fascinating, riveting and, best of all - true! not some Bernard Malamud fictional account, this author was a major league pitcher for 9 season. Not a great pitcher, but an average one. Fortunately, he's a great author.

This is flat out the best baseball book I have ever read.

I also enjoyed Ball Four. Ball Four

This labor of love takes you inside major-league baseball clubhouses and dugouts. Jim Brosnan was a competent major-league pitcher and is an even better writer. You'll see how baseball players really feel about their teammates, managers, contracts, winning, losing, being traded, strategy, et cetera. (Some of this is known by now but was a revelation when the book was first published.) Brosnan's literate, well-written book captures the flavor of the dugout without using vulgarity or crudity (a problem I had with Jim Bouton's Ball Four, though I know not all will agree). If you're solely interested in the modern era, this book may not be for you. But if you want to know what it feels like to be a major-league baseball player and enjoy good writing for its own sake, The Long Season is a must. (P.S.: Brosnan's sequel, Pennant Race, is almost as good.)

"Twist, belly-button, block." A major league relief pitcher taught me how to hit a baseball. An excellent book during an excellent time in Baseball.

While Brosnan ruffled some feathers with this book, it isn't anywhere near as controversial or raunchy as Jim Bouton's "Ball Four." Brosnan does mention his difficult contract negotiation, but it's not as bitter as Bouton discussing contracts. Brosnan has an elephant-like memory for conversations and the batting history of every hitter he faces. You get to see every aspect of a game, from the pitchers discussing how to pitch to a batter to who's got the best pitch to the manager's pep talks before the game. Brosnan has an excellent grasp of the language and even perplexes some of his not as scholarly teammates with some of his words. Overall, a great read from a talented pitcher and author. I look forward to reading "Pennant Race."

This book is amazing. It has helped me realize what this world would be like without the catholic church, the inherent dangers of secularism, and the path to rectify the evil of modernism. By doing this, it has helped bring me back to the catholic church. This author is on par with Aldous Huxley and George Orwell in both his ability to visualize alternate worlds with precise understanding and his ability to write in a eloquent yet succinct manner. It is a short book and I highly recommend it.

R.H. Benson wrote two mystical visions of the future. _The Dawn of All_ is an extremely romantic and improbable 1911 parable of a 1971 world mostly Catholic and at peace, ready for the Second Coming. _The Lord of the World_ came first, in 1907, and was a darker vision. A world of flying craft, major scientific advances, and comfort has become a place of materialist despair. Euthanasia is routine, for the desperately ill and the terminally bored. Oliver and Mabel Brand, a rising young couple, are the golden ones -- Oliver becomes a major political figure, but Mabel chooses the cool despairing end of legal euthanasia. Father Percy Franklin is one of the last Catholic priests in a world hostile to freedom, church, university, and history. Eventually elected the last Pope, he is restricted to the dusty forgotten village of Nazareth. Julian Felsenburgh is a charismatic American adventurer who means to and does become Lord of the World, anti-Christ. Details are less important than the very modern mood. Believing in progress as the only good, people are swept into any movement that promises it. The past is ruthlessly exterminated. The quest for one world government that begins with Esperanto ends with one world dictatorship.

Robert Hugh Benson grew up at the end of the nineteenth century, when it looked like Socialism would sweep over the world and make religious worship outmoded. His father was Archbishop of Canterbury; and he joined the Church of England but later converted to Catholicism. In his introduction to this book he wrote that he took the idea of Man (not the Son of Man) becoming the ideal and 'took it where it would go'.

Knowing that this book was written in 1904, before the Great War and the dissolution of the European Empires, and the nascent beginning of flight, it is interesting to read his views of what the world would look like in 100 years (or about now). He saw the end of poverty and hunger, and the raising of HUMANITY to the paramount position. His views on woman are arcane, as one of his characters dismissed his wife as 'just a woman', and that they make no strides of independence. He talks about inter-city flight at the amazing speed of 150mph, one year after Kitty Hawk.

The stories bottom line is that once Man begins to worship himself (in the guise of Julian Felsenburg), he not only has no need for idealized religion, but that the persecution of anyone who disagrees will become an act of Sedition and punishable by death. Religion is represented in this story by Roman Catholicism (all others having given in and disbanded, except for a few 'elderly jews wandering in Palestine) which fights a peaceable rear guard action against the forces of HUMANITY.

The language is a little difficult and flowery, while the ideas are interesting but sometimes the catholicism is hard to comprehend, but all in all it's worth reading.

Robert Hugh Benson (born November 18, 1871; died October 19, 1914) was the youngest son of Edward White Benson, Archbishop of Canterbury, and younger brother of Edward Frederic Benson. Benson studied Classics and Theology at Trinity College, Cambridge, from 1890 to 1893. In 1895, he was ordained a priest in the Church of England by his father.

His father died suddenly in 1896, and Benson was sent on a trip to the Middle East to recover his own health. While there, he began to question the status of the Church of England and to consider the claims of the Roman Catholic Church. His own piety began to tend toward the High Church variety, and he started exploring religious life in various Anglican communities, eventually obtaining permission to join the Community of the Resurrection.

Benson made his profession as a member of the community in 1901, at which time he had no thoughts of leaving the Church of England. But as he continued his studies and began writing, he became more and more uneasy with his own doctrinal position, and on September 11, 1903, he was received into the Roman Catholic Church.

He was ordained a Catholic priest in 1904 and sent to Cambridge. He continued his writing career along with the usual elements of priestly ministry. He was named a monsignor in 1911.

Lord of the World is one of his more exemplary works and well worth reading.

"A Century before Left Behind there was Lord of the World," reads the cover blurb in the striking Wildside Press edition. But while both books deal with end times, that's where the similarities end. In Benson's vision, Catholics are the last remaining Christians. The Left Behind books, named for a line in Larry Norman's song, "I Wish We'd All Been Ready," on the other hand, follow the idea of the rapture popularized in Hal Lindsey's bestselling book, The Late Great Planet Earth.

I ordered this book from Amazon after reading Gwen Watkins' essay in Charles Williams: A Celebration (also available from Amazon) comparing Benson and Williams as writers. Williams being my favorite author, I was very excited to come upon a similarly gifted novelist. Benson wrote Lord of the World in 1907; it takes place in a future about a century later (around now). That's also around the time that Chesterton wrote his novels. Both he and Benson write so colorfully that it's sometimes hard to know what's going on. Whether people were more imaginative then or that was the style at the turn of the century I don't know. But having read GKC helps one read Benson, and vice versa.

Williams is often held to be obscure for his descriptions of supernatural and occultic ritual. Benson's obscurity lies in his pre-Vatican II Catholic vocabulary and bits of the Latin Mass, which will not be familiar to many readers. That aside, this is an absolutely gripping story. Having once started, I couldn't put the book down. Uncannily, in this 1907 novel, Benson prophesied a dark future that became reality, first in Germany and then in the USSR. Writing in the then new genre of science fiction, he envisioned a technologically advanced world nevertheless rushing headlong to destruction. It's amazing how contemporary he sounds as he looks forward in time to our present and his future.

I had this book for sometime, it was a gift. I didn't really know what a great book I had until I actually read it. Looking at the pictures was great, until I lost my own Chocolate Lab, "Roxie". The memories she and I made, were flushed out as I read the happiness of other inspired Lab Lovers. I though no one else can love a dog as much as I loved mine. There are so many people blessed with Labs that don't realize what a gift a Lab is. They are the best all around dog, that I fell in love with at the age of 18 or so. Now 33 I'm searching for another Lab puppy to love again. This book allowed me to see the other stories, people shared and flushed stories from my own heart that had been forgotten as time has a way of covering the memories that are made in the life of a Lab, if only for a short while I have the memories of my Lab and others, uncovered.

Here is another attractive entry by naturalist author Todd Berger, one that takes a truly loving look at America's singular and by far most popular wonder dog, the Labrador Retriever. As Berger points out so well, there are few other animals who draw such love from humans as a dog, and surely the Lab is the most loveable of the breeds. Here he presents the Labrador Retriever in all its wonder and does a yeoman service to the rest of us by enumerating all of the superb qualities the dog has to offer potential human enthusiasts. They are by reputation excellent working dogs, both as field dogs and as guide dogs for the disabled. They are also incredibly loyal, and the news services are often filled with wonderful and heartwarming stories of Labs crawling out on the ice to save their masters, often at considerable danger to themselves. Nonetheless, they stand by our sides.

Therefore, this book, "The Love Of Labs', is the ultimate tribute to the breed, and is chock-full with stories and photos that actively serve to substantiate what might otherwise seem as idle boasts and overethusiastic praise. In fact, for anyone who spends any time around Labs, like me, it is hard nto to use superlatives when describing them. More than one of the stories herein will bring a smile to your face, a tear to your eye, and the idea in your noggin perhaps it is time to consider getting one of these incredible creatures into you rlife, and that of your extended family. they boost the energy level in any room they enter, are incredible chick-magnets, and have been shown to reduce high blood pressure and dissipate depression through their mere presence. This is a wonderful book about what I believe to be the world's most nearly perfect living creature, the Labrador Retriever! Enjoy!

This is a story book. The stories narrated in the book show the really nice characteristics of this excellent dogs. The photographs are beautiful. It's a nice tribute to the Labrador. Only downside is that all, and I do mean all, the stories are hunting stories. I believe these dogs have much more to say in other aspects of life. For all of you who hunt with a Lab, you will really love this book. Those of you who don't hunt but are really fond to this breed, you will like it very much, myself included. For those of you looking for information on the breed, not recomended.

I have only had the priviledge of owning our adopted black lab, Abbott (rescued by Southern California Labrador Retriever Rescue) for about 4 months. I can not tell you how incredible these dogs are!! The family loyalty is palpable. The intense devotion these dogs display to their family is remarkable. The absolute joy this dog has brought to us is a gift that is compounded daily. How can one really describe a lab's love for their family? (and the family for them) I was so happy to see a book that comes close to trying to express this.

Quite simply, the stories and pictures are beautiful. Share this book with anyone that loves these dogs for it is a pure delight just to turn the pages and look at the pictures! We feel so lucky to live with the real thing!

I have only had the priviledge of owning our adopted black lab, Abbott (rescued by Southern California Labrador Retriever Rescue) for about 4 months. I can not tell you how incredible these dogs are!! The family loyalty is palpable. The intense devotion these dogs display to their family is remarkable. The absolute joy this dog has brought to us is a gift that is compounded daily. How can one really describe a lab's love for their family? (and the family for them) I was so happy to see a book that comes close to trying to express this.

Quite simply, the stories and pictures are beautiful. Share this book with anyone that loves these dogs for it is a pure delight just to turn the pages and look at the pictures! We feel so lucky to live with the real thing!

I was given this book when i was very young, and learned how to read from this book. i still have it; it is worn from years of reading it. And to this day when i want to feel like a kid again, i pick it up and read. it will always be a favorite, and I plan on reading it to my children when i am older.

I'm 16 years old now but when I was little my father read "Maia" to me every single day. It is one of my all time favourite books. It's perfect for any kid who loves dinosaurs, just like I did. The pictures are great and the story is wonderful. I still have my copy and keep it in my room so it's always nearby for whenever I want to read it again.

My almost 6 year-old daughter loved Maia and when her teacher read it in school during "Dinosaur Week," she came home asking if we could buy it. It is the story of Maia, the Maiasaur,of her growing up and learning about the world outside the nest. The story tells of the wonder and fright as she discovers she must make it on her own, that she must become independent. It is the story of Maia becoming a mother herself and knowing that while she must nurture her baby dinosaurs, she must also move them toward independence so that they can survive on their own. The illustrations are fabulous and the story teaches children about dinosaurs and about growing up in a caring and thoughtful manner. Beautifully written and illustrated.

My father wrote this book when I was very young and it is just gratifing to know that other people enjoyed it as much as I did growing up. A friend of mine saw a copy in my house and then told me that it was her favortie book as a child. Its nice to know that people love this book. We appreaciate your comments very much. Thank you, Celia Gorman.

My almost 6 year-old daughter loved Maia and when her teacher read it in school during "Dinosaur Week," she came home asking if we could buy it. It is out of print but available from the Museum of the Rockies by calling 406-994-2252. We were thrilled to get it. It is the story of Maia, the Maiasaur,of her growing up and learning about the world outside the nest. The story tells of the wonder and fright as she discovers she must make it on her own, that she must become independent. It is the story of Maia becoming a mother herself and knowing that while she must nurture her baby dinosaurs, she must also move them toward independence so that they can survive on their own. The illustrations are fabulous and the story teaches children about dinosaurs and about growing up in a caring and thoughtful manner. Beautifully written and illustrated.

This novel is one of the best I have read. Alex Haley and Stevens express a kind of compassion from a grandmother/mother that no one could do better. It's a very emotional book, and touches everyone that has ever experienced a good book. Once you start it, you can't put it down!

This book made you feel apart of it. I loved it! I loved the history, the story, the emotions and how it wove a story of a loving family working their way through life. This is a must read.

Pretend that there is a really good review here. I loved reading this novel. It is one that is vary hard to put down because you can't help wondering what is going to happen next.

At the center of Mama Flora's Family is the indomitable spirit of Mama Flora, the matriarch of an extraordinary family of destitute Tennessee sharecroppers. The characters are so real and believable it made this reader feel that I was right there with them experiencing all their trials and tribulations, as well as the joys. This book is much more than a poignant, hard-to-put-down story of a Mama Flora and her descendants from 1920 to the late 1990s. It, for the most part, effectively weaves into the plot much of what has transpired in American/African-American history during this time period (e.g., life for African-Americans in the South, the rise of the Civil Rights movement, the Black Panthers, the Nation of Islam, the Viet Nam war, political repression under Idi Amin, etc). Mama Flora's Family is a rich, resonant family novel that cuts across the barriers that divide us to touch the hearts of people of all races and backgrounds. I highly recommend this excellent, emotionally-packed posthumous novel written by David Stevens based on Alex Haley's notes and research.

Reading this book is like cozying up with a warm blanket. The authors provide so much detail that you feel like YOUR grandmother is sitting in front of you, recounting the tales. The book spans the decades, from the early 1900s to the late 1970s and throws in a bit of history/current events to place the family's hostory in context. Great book!

A Master Class In Gremlin-Training by Rick Carson revisits a complex subject in imaginative and simple language. As in his prior books, Carson outlines the basics of pleasure and explaina in unique, yet common sense, language a method of getting out of our own way. In his latest work he offers us the opportunity to increase the pleasure in our lives by spending more time living and less time thinking about our lives by taming our gremlin. The gremlin in our mind is the one who is a master at using our "fears, regrets, or self-limiting concepts" to create scenarios that exacerbate our vulnerabilities. The book is well written. An example is the following explanation of what the gremlin can do: "Untamed, he will destroy your health, foul up your relationships, dampen your creativity, hamper your productivity, send you tumbling into low-down funks, and wind you up into fits of panic." The book has an important message and lesson for anyone who wants to understand and minimize the worries that plague them and to successfully pursue a pleasurable and active life

Richard Carson's presentation of his gremlin-taming process is so digestible and good natured. It is grounded in the real world. I recognize bits of myself and others in the examples. And I think that is the key to the value of the book. Each chapter is linked to the others yet stands alone as a tool for finding your own way of enjoying your own life. In fact, I believe this might just introduce you to your very own self!

I can honestly say that I can't think of anyone I would not recommend this book to. It's a good read, a toolbox full of very real aids to finding clarity for yourself and it's often funny. And the illustrations are great!

Rick Carson has written a warm and personal book. He writes from an experiential base; he shares his experiences while encouraging and challenging the reader to utilize this method and evaluate theirs.. As a bonus, the reader will be charmed and tickled as I was by his humor and anecdotes. All the while, the method allows you to shine the light of awareness on the toxic messages inhibiting and limiting us all. By the books conclusion, I felt as if I were parting company with a friend as wwell as a master therapist. Jay Karant, Evanston, Illinois

As a teacher and collegiate athletic coach I found "A Master Class in Gremlin Taming" to be extremely beneficial. Carson's Gremlin Taming method helps me be aware of the barriers I create that limit my potential. By being aware of my own blocks, I am able to help my students and athletes notice theirs as well. We can both then move toward unleashing our fullest potential.

While mastering Gremlin Taming is a life-long pursuit, I notice that the Method is easily applicable. It is for this reason I have given "A Master Class" and "Taming Your Gremlin" to All American athletes and Honor students. Often the difference between being good and being great is in their mentality.

I strongly suggest "A Master Class" and "Taming Your Gremlin" to any teacher or coach who wishes to help their students or athletes excel.

Written with great wit and deceptive simplicity, this book goes directly to the heart of self-awareness, as opposed to analysis and judgment. Carson's guidance in getting a sliver of light between your mind's nay-sayer and your true self is insightful and practical. The freedom I experience by practicing his method of "just noticing" has enhanced relationship with self, family, friends, and counseling clients. The Zen Theory of Change--I change not by trying to change but by noticing how I am imprisoning myself in the moment--is effective and transformative.

This is great book, It has a lots of example and explained really well. Great Work!

The book is good but many solutions are not tested fully so its not that they can be cut and pasted directly out of the book. you may have to troubleshoot many of them. Otherwise a real good book.

As a Developer working predominantly with Oracle Databases for over five years, I'm always looking for books to help me produce better code. I have to say this is one of them. The author has produced a book that explains concepts in a practical manner that is also easy to read. I began reading this book just before starting a major development project and the code insights and examples assisted me greatly in this project.

Probably more a information and guidence book rather than a reference book. I found I read it from cover to cover and used the information as a platform for future developing. Some great code examples which I have used to great effect though!

With 15 years experience in Oracle as DBA and developer, I wrote a lot of packages and found in this book true advices and practical solutions, wich sound good to me. The best feature is that you can experiment all the code found in it and see by yourself the advantage of using the way proposed by McDonald. I like these books where autors breaks some common ideas ans show by "A + B" that the right solution is not the most common. A real useful book written by a true professional.

The book takes a bottom-up approach: the first part shows useful coding and optimizing techniques, while the second one gives real world applications and tips on program design.

I have two minor complaints, however:

Most chapters assume at least a good knowledge of PL/SQL and build on that, which I think is fair for a book titled "Mastering ...". On the other hand, two of the chapters (Triggers especially, and PL/SQL Debugging to a degree) take a different approach and start from the beginning, explaining the basics, too. It may be just me, but I think those pages are wasted.

Furthermore, there is a certain amount of overlap with Tom Kyte's Expert One-on-One Oracle, also from Apress.